Battles in Pokrovsk: Officer reveals key difficulty in fighting occupiers

Russian occupiers are infiltrating Pokrovsk in small groups, but in large numbers. The difficulty of urban defense lies in maintaining a high level of communication between different units.

This was said by Vitalii Derevyanko, Deputy Commander of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment named after Dmytro Kotsiubailo, callsign “Dancer,” during an interview on 24 Kanal.

He explained that the Russian groups entering the city consist of both highly trained soldiers and regular mobilized troops. Still, all are fairly well equipped and supplied.

“Currently, this personnel is infiltrating in small groups. Clearly, they are not sufficiently trained, but due to their large numbers, we have to spend a lot of time, effort, and energy to eliminate them all,” said “Dancer.”

The Ukrainian officer stressed that combat operations in the city are always more complicated, as they require a high level of communication both within the unit and between different units, since the defense is divided into designated sectors where adjacent forces intersect.

“If there is no coordination, there is a high probability that adjacent units will enter our sector, and it will be unclear whether it is the enemy or one of our soldiers,” he noted.

Another difficulty, according to “Dancer,” is that it is hard to dislodge the enemy from areas where they are entrenched. Urban defenses can be maintained for a considerable time.

Vitalii Derevyanko described the situation in Pokrovsk as “tense, difficult, but controlled.”

“At the moment, we cannot say that it has reached peak criticality,” the Ukrainian officer said.